NBA Legend Muggsy Bogues Keeps It Real… Positive

The hoops dynamo’s inspiring advice. Promoted by AXE.

You remember the 5’3” phenom who rose out of inner-city Baltimore to defy the odds, doing it his way for 15 years in the NBA, right?

Well, the shortest dude to ever play in the Association, Muggsy Bogues, is still doing it his way. As an NBA Ambassador involved with corporate partners like AXE and his charity Always Believe, Bogues carries himself with style and quiet confidence.

During the shoot for his AXE Shower Thoughts video (watch it below), we caught up with him to learn the secrets of his success.

“Style is everything but it’s not just the way you dress. It’s how you conduct yourself, how you act.”

1. Take time to plan and dream.When I was in the NBA, that morning shower was always about planning—dreaming about goals I had, what I wanted to achieve. It was not so much a meditation, but a lot of thoughts were going on. Sometimes some singing is happening. Now I like to take long showers, don’t hurry it, gives you time to get your thoughts together, reflect on what projects you have going on. Also gives me an opportunity to “talk” to some people I miss, who are no longer with us. My mom, my sister and other loved ones.

2. Style is more than just dressing well.Style has a lot to do with attitude but positive attitude, so it’s also about being classy and humble in the process. That’s style, that’s the swagger that comes with it. Then people have that aura about themselves because they’re able to attract good things to their lives, through their character traits, personality. Style is everything but it’s not just the way you dress. It’s how you conduct yourself, how you act. That’s why I mentioned the classy part of it. But there’s also the other side, people who think they’re being stylish but are maybe showing some ignorance through their egotistic behavior, and I stay away from that sort of “style.”

3. Keep up your fitness regime.I don’t play ball regularly, but I keep fit. I work out in my gym at my house, and I try to do something every day. You’ve got to keep it going, you want to tone, keep your heart rate going, stay active. With so many things going on you want to stay healthy as long as you can. Father Time is not going to stop. Listen, wealth with no health defeats the purpose.

4. And your nutrition.My wife is a chef, so I eat well. But I’ve never been a guy who over-ate, I’ve always been strategic with what I’ve eaten — I’m a pasta and seafood type of guy, not much of red meat guy. I’ve pretty much been keeping to that diet for 25 years. My playing weight was 140, and I’m at 135, not as muscled as I was when playing in the NBA. Thank God I’m not fighting those big boys no longer.

5. Enjoy the game.You need to have fun with basketball, regardless of what level you’re at. Because it comes with so many benefits—it teaches you about life, about ups and downs. Who cares if you’re not as good, go out there and have fun, enjoy our beautiful game, build a little camaraderie with other players. Not everyone is as skillful as a Division 1 type of player, so don’t beat yourself up with it. It’s a great game and I’ve been playing it since I was three, when I got my first basketball.

6. Go hard to the hoop.When you’re going to the basket, you’ve got to go aggressively—you’ve got to get the ball off before they get there or you may have to take that hit. But going to the basket is always a sign of aggressiveness. Passive is just trying to shoot jump shots. And taking the ball to the hoop, that’s a high-percentage shot, more than the jump shot. The percentage is way up taking the ball to the basket.

7. Confidence is key.I’m loving Stephen Curry and his Warriors, they are a team. His father Dell Curry and I played eleven years together, so it was like we helped raise Steph, he’s like a son to me. My son Todd and Steph are the same age. What separates Steph right now is his confidence, and his ability to know what he can do on the floor. And that’s scary, when you know you can score anywhere on the floor—that’s a treat to watch. And it’s also a strength that people fear. These teams are all trying to stop him, but he’s still doing it and that’s what makes his accomplishments so remarkable.